Infinity Ward nerfs Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s dreaded sniper shotgun again

Anyone who’s playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s competitive multiplayer portion will know about the dreaded 725.

This shotgun has plagued multiplayer since Infinity Ward’s first-person shooter launched. The issue: with the right attachments, it’s a sniper shotgun.

Infinity Ward has so far struggled to get the balance right with the 725, issuing multiple nerfs that have, at times, had unintended effects. A nerf on 11th November actually ended up buffing the shotgun, and it continues to dominate certain maps.

Now, Infinity Ward has issued a third nerf for the 725, this time taking aim at the damage range added by attachments. But there’s more: there’s a small reduction to base weapon damage range, and reduced effective damage at the hip. Here’s the detail, courtesy of the patch notes over on Reddit:

• Small reduction to base weapon damage range
• Significantly reduced the damage range added by attachments
• Small hips spread increase
• Reduced effective damage at the hip

This nerf is significant (the damage range boost from attachments has been obliterated), and, if it works as intended, should go some way to stamping out the 725 plague that’s afflicted Modern Warfare all month.

But the issues around the 725 highlight an interesting aspect about Modern Warfare I think is worth digging into, and it has to do with the Gunsmith.

One of the best things about Modern Warfare is the Gunsmith, the part of the game that lets you customise the weapons. There’s a huge amount of flexibility here, and a great number of options. You can pick from a selection of attachments in a number of categories, such as the barrell, the optic, the stock, ammunition and rear grip. There are around 50 attachments per weapon. It’s great!

However, the sheer number of combinations on offer with the Gunsmith does result in crazy attachment combinations that break the game, such as the 725 sniper. This weapon, by default, had an insane one-shot kill range (and a fantastic two/three-shot kill range, too). Putting the right attachments on the 725 almost made the weapon comically overpowered, letting you cross-map enemies on the 2v2 Gunfight maps, and, well, you get the idea.

The Gunsmith is a lot of fun and, long-term, should help with weapon variety on the battlefield, so I’m glad it works the way it does – despite it throwing up the sniper shotgun.

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